Eye (9-1 MMA, 3-0 BFC) scored her biggest win to date at Bellator 83 in December when she choked out Bellator 115-pound women’s champion Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Gurgel in just 58 seconds. The popular 26-year-old Ohio native has won six straight fights and currently sits atop the women’s flyweight rankings.

New Jersey’s Holland (5-2 MMA, 1-1 BFC) won three of her four fights in 2012 including back-to-back knockouts of Marianna “The Crushen Russian” Kheyfets and Brazilian veteran Carina “Beauty But The Beast” Damm. Holland made her second appearance for Bellator in a September bout against Michelle “T-Cat” Ould, but Ould’s wrestling proved to be too much for Holland and she dropped a one-sided unanimous decision.

Both Eye and Holland have their sights set on becoming the first Bellator women’s champion at 125 pounds. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney has hinted at a potential women’s flyweight title tournament, but the promotion has instead opted to feature “superfights” between some of the division’s top talent over the course of the past 10 months.

Plans remain tentative for the tournament, which is unlikely to begin in the near future, but Eye and Holland are expected to be featured prominently on Spike TV when they face off in April. Verbal agreements are in place for the non-tournament matchup and bout agreements should be finalized in the coming weeks. The winner could move on to face Ould, who has been recovering from a broken hand sustained in her win over Holland.

CFA women’s featherweight tournament begins in March

Championship Fighting Alliance will begin its inaugural women’s featherweight tournament on March 2 at CFA 10 in Coral Gables, Fla. The tournament features eight of MMA’s top female prospects at 145 pounds, and the winner will become CFA women’s featherweight champion. All four quarterfinal matchups were confirmed this past week.

The first quarterfinal pits Kelsey De Santis (3-0 amateur) against Brighton “The British Blonde Bomber” Hutton (1-1 pro). De Santis became Operation Octagon amateur women’s featherweight champion in October 2011. One month later, while still serving as a corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps, De Santis made national headlines when pop singer Justin Timberlake accompanied her to the Marine Corps Ball in Richmond, Va. She has since relocated to California and will look to stay unbeaten as she makes her pro debut for CFA.

Hutton has extensive amateur boxing experience and she is one of the most skilled strikers in the CFA tournament. She made her pro MMA debut in October 2009 against the much more experienced Jan “Cuddles” Finney and was stopped in the second round, but earned her first victory with a dominant TKO stoppage this past April. Though she has just two MMA bouts to date, Hutton’s striking pedigree could propel her far in the tournament.

Former Ultimate Reno Combat and Tuff-N-Uff champion Taylor “No Mercy” Stratford (9-1 amateur) makes her long-awaited pro debut against Allanna “Hands of Stone” Jones (1-1 pro) in the second quarterfinal. Stratford put together one of the most impressive amateur careers of any female MMA fighter to date and holds notable wins over Invicta FC competitors Raquel “Rocky” Pennington and Amanda “The Lady Killer” Bell. Her lone amateur defeat came via a controversial stoppage in a 2011 bout with current UFC champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey.

Jones also brings a considerable amount of experience into her CFA debut. Following an 8-2 run as an amateur that included five appearances for the respected North American Allied Fight Series promotion, Jones turned pro in September and earned a first-round TKO victory. She is coming off of a third-round submission setback against Randa Thomas Markos in a back-and-forth bout in November. Jones steps into the tournament on relatively short notice in place of Stratford’s original opponent, Fabiana “Fafa” Pereira Santos.

The third quarterfinal matches Revelina “Nana” Berto (3-0 pro) up against Peggy “The Daywalker” Morgan (1-0 pro). Berto is a member of the famed fighting family that includes brothers Andre and James Edson. She has long been seen as one of the top female prospects in MMA, but has been inactive for close to four years. Despite her long layoff from competition, Berto is a well-rounded fighter and is seen by many as the favorite to win the CFA tournament.

After training in boxing for eight years, Morgan made her amateur MMA debut one year ago. She earned stoppage wins in both of her amateur bouts and turned pro in June, where she took a majority-decision victory over hard-hitting opponent Kaline Medeiros. At 6 feet tall, Morgan will have a height and reach advantage over the rest of the tournament field and her jiu-jitsu game has improved at a rapid rate over the past year. The New Hampshire native would make a big statement with a victory over Berto in the quarterfinal round.

Rounding out the bracket, former Tuff-N-Uff 140-pound champion Ashlee Evans-Smith (5-4 amateur) faces Tori Adams (1-0 pro) in a rematch from February 2011. Evans-Smith opened her amateur career with four straight wins before suffering her first defeat against Adams. She captured the Tuff-N-Uff title this past April by defeating Bridgette “The Black Widow” Batch. The talented wrestler now looks to rebound from a quick loss in her final amateur bout.

Adams remains undefeated in her MMA career. She enjoyed a 3-0 run as an amateur with one no decision and finished her opponents – including Evans-Smith – in all three victories. This past June, Adams made a successful pro debut by defeating Raquel Pennington, but she weighed in well over the bantamweight limit and now moves back up to 145 pounds for the tournament.

The semifinal round of the competition is expected to take place on April 20 at CFA 11. The winner of De Santis vs. Hutton will face the winner of Stratford vs. Jones, and the winner of Berto vs. Morgan will take on the winner of Evans-Smith vs. Adams.

PXC books first pro female fight for March 8

Pacific Xtreme Combat is set to feature its first professional female MMA fight on March 8 at PXC 36 in Mangilao, Guam. The Asia-Pacific promotion has booked a 115-pound matchup between former three-time amateur champion Kaiyana Rain and Hawaiian prospect Kailin Curran, who makes her pro debut on the card.

Rain (5-1-1 amateur, 0-1 pro) rose to the top of the 115-pound amateur women’s division with four straight victories in 2012 that earned her championship titles for Epic Fighting, Tuff-N-Uff and Momentum Fighting Championship. She avenged the lone loss of her amateur career by defeating Stephanie “The Shark” Gonzalez in her final fight before turning pro at Invicta FC 3 in October. After three hard-fought rounds of action against fellow three-time amateur champ Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres, Rain dropped a unanimous decision to the rising star, but she put on a solid showing in defeat.

Curran (3-1 amateur, 0-0 pro), a talented kickboxer with many years of wrestling experience, transitioned to MMA in March 2010 and earned a second-round submission victory in her amateur debut. In early 2011, she captured the 808 Battleground flyweight title with a third-round TKO and successfully defended her belt five months later. Curran’s bid for a second title was delayed when her bout with Lauren Barefoot was changed to an exhibition match after Barefoot came in overweight. She ultimately faced Colorado’s J.J. Aldrich for the Destiny MMA flyweight title in July and succumbed to a rear-naked choke late in round one.

Rain and Curran are each looking to rebound from losses, but both fighters have shown a lot of potential in their short careers and that potential has not gone unnoticed. PXC CEO E.J. Calvo told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) this past week that his promotion had been very particular when selecting the combatants for the first PXC women’s bout and he hopes to showcase more female fights in the coming months.

PXC’s history dates back to its inaugural show in January 2004

Texans Amber Stautzenberger, Jordan Nicole Gaza earn first pro wins

Amber “The Apex Predator” Stautzenberger (1-1) secured her first pro victory in quick and impressive fashion on Jan. 26 at “Dakota Fighting Championships 14: American Dream” in Fargo, N.D. Stautzenberger made short work of opponent Summer Artherton (0-2) with a first-round armbar in just over one minute.

Stautzenberger, who dropped a close decision to Invicta FC fighter “12 Gauge” Paige VanZant in her September pro debut, was aggressive right from the outset in her bout with Artherton. She used a quick kick-punch combo to close the distance and took Artherton down, then moved straight into mount. Artherton gave up her back and Stautzenberger latched onto an arm in search of an armbar. She pulled back on the submission and Artherton tried to roll to escape, but she had nowhere to go and tapped out at the 1:07 mark of Round 1.

Another Texas-based prospect, Jordan Nicole “Ninja Princess” Gaza (1-1), also picked up her first pro win in her return to the cage. Gaza submitted the previously unbeaten Kathina “Kill Switch” Catron (2-1) with a second-round rear-naked choke at Xtreme Fighting League’s “Xtreme Fight Night 11: Road To Glory” on Friday in Catoosa, Okla.

Gaza was in complete control of the fight from start to finish and overwhelmed her opponent with her superior grappling skills. She threatened with an arm-triangle choke and a rear-naked choke in the opening round and picked up where she left off with more submission attempts in the second stanza. Catron gave up her back and Gaza quickly transitioned to another rear-naked choke that forced the local favorite to tap out at the 1:34 mark of Round 2.

Like Stautzenberger, Gaza also dropped her pro debut to VanZant via a razor-thin decision this past year. Both Stautzenberger and Gaza went 4-3 as amateurs before turning pro in 2012 and the Texans may face off against each other in April.

Quick results

Izabela Badurek (1-1) def. Anna Urbanowicz (0-1) via submission (armbar) at the 1:51 mark of Round 1 at “Professional League of MMA 1: Zamosc” on Jan. 13 in Zamosc, Poland. Badurek rebounded from a third-round TKO loss in her December pro debut with the quick victory.

Nikki “Knuckles” Knudsen (2-1) def. Windy “The Hurricane” Thorn (1-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 2:27 mark of Round 1 at Alaska Fighting Championship 96 on Jan. 16 in Anchorage, Alaska. Knudsen was returning to action for the first time since a submission loss in July 2009. Both of her wins have come in the first round.

On the same AFC 96 card, Kyleen Smith (1-1) def. Charmaine Shimanek (0-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 57-second mark of Round 1. Smith was also competing for the first time following a lengthy hiatus. She dropped her pro debut to Larissa Tyler in October 2011, but looked impressive in the brief bout with Shimanek.

Amber Brown (2-0) def. Abby Higginbotham (0-1) via TKO (punches) at the 2:24 mark of Round 1 at “King of the Cage: Curtain Call” on Jan. 26 in Norman, Okla. Brown made a successful pro debut in November and overwhelmed Higginbotham with strikes to remain unbeaten.

Jessica “Bate Estaca” Andrade (4-2) def. Luciana dos Passos Pereira (3-3) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 3:35 mark of Round 2 at Web Fight Combat 1 on Jan. 27 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Andrade has maintained a very active fighting schedule since her September 2011 pro debut and she has finished her opponents in all four wins. Her two defeats came against top Brazilian prospects Kinberly Tanaka Novaes and Jennifer Maia.

Jorina “JoJo” Baars (1-2) def. Alexandra Buch (5-2) via submission (guillotine choke) in Round 1 at MMA Bundesliga on Feb. 2 in Herne, Germany. Baars suffered TKO losses in each of her first two pro bouts and was seen as an underdog against Buch, but Baars surprised her German opponent with a tight guillotine choke to get the upset victory.

Jessica “Black” Doerner (3-1) def. Milly Brown (0-1) via TKO (punches) in Round 1 at “Dakota Nations Young Guns MMA: Taking Care of Business” on Feb. 2 in Fort Yates, N.D. Doerner got back on the winning track after suffering her first pro loss in November. She has yet to see the second round in any of her pro fights.

Julianna “The Venezuelan Vixen” Pena (3-1) faces DeAnna Bennett (1-0) at “Showdown Fights 10: Collard vs. Clements” on Feb. 8 in Orem, Utah. Pena is coming off of her first pro loss in April when she sustained a broken arm in her bout with Sarah “Cheesecake” Moras. Pena had finished all three of her pro opponents prior to the setback. The fight against Moras took place just three weeks after Pena had been struck by a car and she is eager to put on a better performance against Bennett, who has yet to taste defeat in her career. Bennett won both of her amateur bouts and stopped veteran Andrea “Killer” Miller in the opening round of her pro debut this past February. She will have the hometown crowd on her side on Friday.

Lacey “The Ladie” Schuckman (7-6) faces Darla “Train Wreck” Harris (3-1) at “Sparta Combat League: Thunderdome” on Feb. 9 in Denver, Colo. Schuckman has been one of Colorado’s top female fighters for many years, but she is currently looking to rebound from a pair of losses in closely contested Invicta FC bouts. After succumbing to an armbar late in a short-notice bout with Jewels champion Ayaka Hamasaki in July, Schuckman dropped down to 105 pounds for her return to Invicta FC this past October. At the end of three back-and-forth rounds, Schuckman came out on the wrong end of an extremely close split decision in her bout with Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson. Harris is also looking to get back on track after tasting defeat for the first time as a pro. She opened her career with three straight wins before falling victim to a second-round rear-naked choke from Diana “Dynamite” Rael at Made For War 1 in October.

Amy Adam (0-1) faces Belinda Sedgwick (0-1) at “Brace For War 19: Sydney” on Feb. 16 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Both fighters are looking for their first pro wins after losing their debuts for Brace this past year. Adam lost a close split decision to Lana “The Black Mamba” Kate in December. Sedgwick was defeated by a rear-naked choke from opponent Lisa Sutton at Brace 17 in October and she steps into the bout with Adam on short notice in place of Adam’s original opponent, Jessy Rose.

Thea Wolfe (0-0) faces Sarah “The Midget” Lagerstrom (0-0) at CageSport 23 on Feb. 16 in Tacoma, Wash. Wolfe won her lone amateur bout via second-round doctor stoppage in April and now trains under former UFC fighter Ivan Salaverry in Seattle. Lagerstrom sports a 3-4 amateur record and is well-versed in Muay Thai. She is also expected to face Paulina “Firefox” Granados in March.

(Pictured: Jessica Eye)

* * * *

MMAjunkie.com publishes the Women’s MMA Report every other Monday. Its author, Robert Sargent, is a veteran MMA journalist who also runs MMARising.com. Feel free to email us at news [AT] mmajunkie.com with any questions, news tips or suggestions.

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